Have we kicked COVID-19 to the curb – or just down the road?

| June 10, 2020

With last week’s column starting out in a bit of a revolutionary tone – that is a play on words of course as the wording was from the beginning of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” There is nothing quite as alarming as that word – not Charles Dickens – but “revolutionary.”

Hopefully folks will come to their senses and even more so by the time you read this column – and the destruction of property will have ceased. I have no problem with people peacefully protesting – as most Americans that truly understand the principles upon which our great nation was founded – “You have the right to assembly” – that is close if not on the mark – I did not research it for the exact phrase – but can we stop destroying other people’s livelihoods?

As if businesses did not suffer enough from the global pandemic and ordered quarantining over the past few months the protests that turned into property destruction in major cities across the country is just not necessary nor should it be tolerated. Where, exactly, is the National Guard in situations like this? Are the various Governors afraid to call them out for fear of escalation? Could be. Again, I am writing this without the benefit of researching this too deeply. I can do that; I just chose not to. My brain is tired of all this just like you.

That does not mean that we can hide under a rock though. We shouldn’t. Speaking of that, as mentioned earlier in this column, I am writing this on Friday – that means I am writing this without the benefit of knowing how the weekend “activities” in our downtown went. I am going to go out on a limb here and predict that it will go peacefully. Our law enforcement folks are professional and top notch and I am confident that any demonstrations will be handled with the utmost of respect and restraint.

What is happening with major league baseball you might ask? Good question. Right now, it is all about the length of the season and the number of games played. There is a nice little spat between major league baseball and the players union. The players want a longer season and major league baseball, fearing a renewal of COVID-19 in the fall, want a shorter season. Shorter of course, as in when the season will end. Right now, there is no counteroffer – that was two days ago as I write this.

Now let’s talk about football. According to the website NCAA.com the season is starting with a limited number of games on August 29 with more teams scheduled to play over the Labor Day weekend. The Buckeyes are scheduled to start the 2020 season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Bowling Green at Ohio Stadium then it’s out to Eugene, Oregon to play the Ducks. The usual game against TTUN is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28.

This is, of course, all dependent on COVID-19 and any potential resurgence of the virus in the fall. Why folks seem to be predicting an increase in the fall is anyone’s guess . . . I would think, based on my observations, that if we are going to have a resurgence, it will happen earlier than the fall. Since just about everyone seems to think we have kicked this thing to the curb. No predictions here, just observations. I hope we have.

Category: Mark's Musings

About the Author ()

I live with my beautiful wife Nancy on a small farm just outside Coshocton. We have been married for thirty two years and have two grown children, Jessica and Jacob. Jessica is married to Aaron Mencer and they are employed with Coshocton City Schools. Jacob is a sophomore at Kent State University. I graduated from River View High School, have a Bachelor’s Degree from North Carolina Wesleyan University and am actively involved with the Roscoe United Methodist Church, serve on several local committees and am a member of the Coshocton Kiwanis Club, having served as Past-President. I love reading, especially military thrillers, the Civil War and history in general. My goal is to write a novel. My wife and I are also AdvoCare distributors and encourage anyone wanting to lose weight, gain energy and better health to explore AdvoCare at our website; www.fortunes4advocare.com. I love the media field, innovative technology and have worked in newspapers for over 30 years – in fact, my first job was delivering newspapers. The Beacon is a dream made possible by the support of this community and a great team. I hope to continue serving Coshocton County for many years.

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